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'The Haunting of Hill House' director breaks down that 'one-shot' episode

"It was the hardest thing most of us have ever done."

Shannon Connellan

on November 5, 2018

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Wondering how the sixth episode of Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House, the one that looks like it's all one continuous shot, was made?

Writer and director Mike Flanagan gave fans a rare look at how the ambitious episode of the streaming platform's horror series was created, in a lengthy Twitter thread on Sunday.

Flanagan broke down the scenes for the episode, and the difficulties involved in filming what he describes as essentially "five long takes," three in a funeral home, two in Hill House.

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The director speaks to problematic flooding caused by rain machines, praises the stand-in actors who helped rehearse the lighting, blocking and cinematography, and explains how the crew pulled off a 360-degree shot featuring adult characters being replaced with their child selves.

Flanagan even details exactly how long each shot runs for, which would be stitched together in post-production for the seemingly one-shot full episode.

Here we go. There's a mild spoiler vibe in a few of the tweets, just so you know.

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Phew! So much detail. But there was one final question to answer.

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Topics Netflix

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Shannon Connellan

UK Editor

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.